Asylum claims hit record high
BRITAIN faces a fresh migrant wave after it was revealed yesterday that record numbers made asylum claims in the EU in just eight months this year – more than in the whole of 2014.
The alert comes after figures showed that 648,195 asylum seekers applied to begin a new life in Europe.
The claims, to the end of August, are 20,000 more than for all of last year.
Last month alone nearly 110,000 asylum seekers and dependants applied to stay, indicating that refugees are arriving at a rate of more than 3,500 a day.
The number of claims was double those recorded in August last year, despite only nine countries providing figures.
Critics of the EU’s open- door policy say the immigration crisis will lead to a sharp rise in asylum applications here.
The chaos has seen numbers rocketing inside the “Jungle” camp in Calais where migrants gather before trying to illegally enter the UK.
Ukip MEP Mike Hookem said the disturbing statistics were a “clear illustration our security is jeopardised”. He added: “The EU’s bleeding- heart policy of opening the door to anyone who says they are fleeing war has already caused divisions within communities and has provided Islamic State with an opportunity to infiltrate our country.
“We have been told there is a serious plot by Islamic terrorists foiled once a fortnight yet our Government won’t take the tough action needed to control who is coming into this country.
“Instead, along the French coast we still have criminal gangs making a fortune smuggling illegal migrants into this country, controlling the camps with guns and knives and turning Europe into a gangland turf war.”
Hungary and Germany received the lion’s share of asylum claims last month with 47,095 and 36,415, figures from EU data body Eurostat showed.
Britain has not yet submitted its figures for August.
Last week the Daily Express revealed the number of asylum claims in the UK was at its highest monthly level for more than six years.
A total of 4,305 refugees and their families made claims in Britain in July. The figures suggest the rise in applications is directly linked to the migrant crisis.
It is the highest figure for any single month since comparable records started in January 2009 and marks a 120 per cent increase on the number trying to seek refuge here in April.
The only other time a monthly total has broken through the 4,000 barrier was in March 2009, with 4,020.
The Home Office said: “The UK has a long and proud history of offering sanctuary to those who genuinely need it and each claim is carefully considered on its individual merits.”